Duterte extends intl flight diversion to NAIA until June 12

President Rodrigo Duterte has extended the diversion of international flights to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) until June 12, 2021.

The extension, formalized by a memorandum from Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea on June 5, aims to ensure the seamless implementation of national testing and quarantine protocols.

This measure was necessitated by a conflict between national policy mandating a 10-day quarantine and Cebu's local directives for a shorter quarantine.

MCIA Authority acting general manager Lawyer Glenn Napuli confirmed that international flights are still diverted to NAIA and MCIA is focused on international cargo servicing.

Napuli noted that MCIA served its last international flights on June 5, the day the diversion order was issued, and they received the order on June 7.

The flight diversion aimed to ensure that the anti-COVID-19 measures imposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) would be implemented in Cebu after June 13.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III supported Cebu's 'swab upon arrival' policy, stating that quarantine for Cebuanos returning from abroad is unnecessary if their test results are negative within 24 hours.